


Blowing Eighty Miles An Hour

by Achrya



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom Daryl, Daryl's filthy mouth, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Entirely too indulgent Rick, Fluff, Kink, Long suffering Rick, M/M, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Poor Daryl, Possessive Rick, Praise Kink, Sex, Shane Being an Asshole, Shane Lives, Shane has issues, Shane likes to fight, Shane's filthy mouth, Shit ones, Smut, Sub Daryl, Sweet, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-02 04:16:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4045600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achrya/pseuds/Achrya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl needs to take a fucking shower; even Carol says so and people in Alexandria are starting to talk. Shane is putting his foot down (mostly for vaguely evil Shane reasons) and ‘enlists’ Rick to get the job done. Rick is tired of being stuck between Daryl and Shane, unless it’s going to be in a literal sense. Then he’s fine with it. Daryl kind of hates everyone. </p><p>Or: Rick is one day going to teach them to stop cursing in front of the baby, Shane is horrifically maladjusted and really wishes Rick would fight back sometimes, and Daryl has no idea why Shane keeps looking at him and snickering while Rick just keeps giving him that 'You should run' face.  (Either summary works.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing.  
> Things that will not be addressed in this story: How/Why Shane is alive  
> How they manage that seven months between the farm and the prison without anyone killing Shane.  
> When Shane decided to stop being pants on head crazy. (Oh wait, actually. Never. Still kinda crazy here. Or...at least a big asshole)  
> At what point Daryl figures out that Shane and Rick are boinking. My headcannon is that they’ve always been boinking/fucking married people was kind of Shane’s jam/Shane hit it first, but that doesn’t really explain how it all comes together with all the ‘things’ but. Yeah. /shrug  
> Things we will have: Smut. Sweet smut, violent smut, wet smut, smutty smut. A thin plot that I try to bulk out with Shane introspection. Rick talks very little but Shane and Daryl totally get it anyway. Sassy Shane and Sassy Daryl. Rick and Shane are both generally accepted as Judith's dads and everyone is resolved to just. not. talk. about. it.

1.

 

“Who would have thought? Shane Walsh, master storyteller.” Shane, to his credit, managed to not flinch or reach for the gun he didn’t actually have when Rick’s loud words broke the silence of the house. He hadn’t heard the door but, now that he thought about, maybe he’d left it open after taking Judith out onto the porch.

He was getting too comfortable.

Instead he looked up and frowned at the other man. “You’d think after all that time ducking walkers you’d have learned to be just a little bit quieter.”

“You sound like Daryl.” Rick’s ‘butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth’ grin only grew at the sound of disgusted scoffing in stereo. Shane didn’t need to look past his partner to know Daryl was there and probably glaring at Rick’s back.

Shane turned back to the crib and reached in, scooping up Judith, who’d opted to shove her foot in her mouth while he was looking elsewhere. He’d been winging his way through a pretty rousing story about Princess Judith and the three zombie hunters Michonne, Maggie, and Glenda (Shane was nothing if not an innovator, always willing to alter the classics for a more relatable story) in hopes that maybe she’d finally that that afternoon nap she’d been fighting against.

Her eyes would close and her little head would droop but, without fail, the minute her cheek touched the mattress she'd jump back awake and give him a defiant gurgle and evil eye. Rick called that look her ‘Shane face’. He wasn’t sure if he was insulted or pleased.

He pushed past Rick, pointedly ignoring the other’s man’s amused grin, and came to a halt in the hallway in front of Daryl. He looked the younger man over; he was every bit as greasy and dirty as he’d been the day before, smelling faintly of smoke, dirt, and sweat, and wearing one of his usual cut up t-shirts and jeans.

“You been smoking?”

Rick made a noise Shane knew was him attempting to not laugh. Daryl just rolled his eyes.

“Not today. Dad.”

Shane decided to let that slide (though pointing out that he doubted Daryl’s dad ever gave much of a fuck if he smoked himself to death or not was right on the tip of his tongue) He carefully passed Judith over, watching as the annoyed look melted into a softer affectionate one. Daryl shifted the baby so she was resting her head on his shoulder and smoothed a hand over her hair, lips quirking upwards.

“Hey Lil’ Asskicker. Has your dad been boring you with his stupid stories again?”

Shane twitched but a hand pressed against the small of his back kept him from snapping at the other man. He looked over his shoulder to find Rick giving him the ‘stay cool and I’ll make it worth your while’ look. A glance back at Daryl found the hunter staring at them, eyes sharp.

“I’m taking her but so help me if I hear weird noises-”

“You better enjoy her while you can. You don’t take a fucking shower soon and I’ll declare you a biohazard and ban you from the fucking nursery.”

If looks could kill Shane would have burst into flames, burned to ash, and blown away under the force of Daryl’s glare. Rick sighed and it was very ‘why can’t you just be nice?’. Shane knew that and he Daryl drove Rick a little crazy (more crazy) but Dixon was a smug little shit and seemed to get off on pushing his buttons. How was he supposed to just like that kind of shit go? At least they didn’t come to blows anymore; didn’t he deserve some credit for that?

“Fuck you Walsh.” Daryl muttered while turning away from them.

“You’d like it too fucking much.” Shane spat back.

‘That’s going to be Judith’s first real word.” Rick griped for what had to have been the hundredth time. “That’s the only work you two use consistently. Other kids are saying Dad or No and she’s gonna be saying ‘Fuck you.’”

Daryl’s response was a singular finger before he headed down the stairs. Shane ran a hand through his hair, blowing out an irritated breath, then cut his eyes over to really look at Rick. His best friend was in his ‘constable uniform’ and all light stubble and carefully pushed back hair. Very respectable, the picture of trustworthy and friendly authority.

Shane, of course, was too unhinged to be in a position of power so not Michonne was Rick’s back up, taking the place he’d occupied since they were children. He, according to Rick, had scared the shit out of Deanna in his interview and was regulated to being one of the supply runners/scouts/whatever else needed an extra hand. As a result he spent most of his time with Judith, around the house.

Shane Walsh, housewife. His grandmother would be proud.

Rick seemed to think if he showed he wasn't actually ‘scary’ he’d be ‘promoted’ to constable soon enough. Shane was skeptical; after all he was at least a little scary. He’d always been the big bad asshole cop to Rick’s almost saintly cop but here in Alexandria there wasn’t much call for all of that. Besides he supposed he enjoyed being able to take care of his (their) daughter.

Not that he’d be admitting that out loud anytime soon.

Rick cocked a questioning eyebrow at him. Shane flashed him a toothy grin. “So. Weird noises?”

Rick’s expression was one of amused exasperation but he allowed himself to be caught by the wrist and lead towards his bedroom. “You can’t be loud just to spite Daryl.”

Shane paused right inside the doorway of the dim room. “What if I’m loud because I want you to fuck me hard enough that I’m feeling it for days?”

He got a smoldering look as well as a light shove. “I know for a fact we can do that without disturbing the entire block.”

Well of course they could be quiet. They’d had practice when they were younger and fumbling in their bedrooms then even more practice in the prison and yet more after the prison because parents and the group and fucking walkers. That had been fine then but at this point they’d been in Alexandria a month and Shane was tired of being quiet.

He shoved back, pushing Rick against the door frame then leaned in and up, hands on either side of the taller man. A small smile played on Rick’s lips as blue eyes darkened.

“I’ll tell you what Shane. You get Daryl to take Judith outside and then you can be as loud as you want.”

Shane scowled. Daryl could be downstairs getting ready to take the baby out as they spoke but the minute Shane asked him to go he’d park his ass on the fucking stairs or right outside of the bedroom just to get at him.

“Maybe if you weren’t always trying to poke at him-”

“Can we not talk about your dirty pet redneck?” Shane asked. Rick’s smile just got bigger and it took a serious effort to not lash out and wipe it off of his face. Daryl was a master at getting under Shane’s skin but Rick was even better, playing Shane with touches, looks, and the way he stood and breathed. Of course Rick had thirty odd years of practice. Daryl just had ‘talent’.

That was fine as well. Shane knew how to get at Rick. He smirked, stomach flipping as Rick’s face went half wary and half wanting. He reached down, finding Rick’s belt and hastily undid it and pulled it out, letting it fall to the floor. He popped the button on the taller man’s jeans then started to push them and the boxers underneath down.

Rick caught his hands, tongue darting out to wet his lips as his throat worked. “How about we make it inside the room?”

“How about you be quiet? Think you can manage that?” Rick looked heavenward for a long beat then, with a put upon sigh, let go of Shane’s hands. He was tempted to say something sarcastic but, as Rick’s pants fell away and his cock, already half hard, became visible Shane decided to just let it go.

Anyone but Rick and he would have made it a thing, would have taunted and teased and dug himself in deep, picking at them until they weren’t sure if they wanted to fight or fuck because Shane was the kind of guy who liked a little bit of both.

Kind of missed getting a bit of both, since stuff like that didn’t exactly work with Rick. With Rick if Shane wanted it rougher, harder, painful it was better to just say so and be done with it because starting fights just made him want to sooth whatever the problem was. Rick didn’t mind getting rough but he didn’t like to mix actual hostility with his sex.

Not anymore at least. Shane suspected Rick was afraid of fighting with him, afraid of pushing too hard or at the wrong thing and breaking him beyond repair.

Shane could respect that. Didn’t like it, but he could respect it.

Beyond all that deep introspective stuff he also really liked Rick’s cock and it seemed more pressing a matter than getting on his friend’s nerves. Shane had seen a few in his day (He could picture Rick rolling his eyes at ‘a few’ and muttering “slut” in that ‘I’m absolutely not jealous’ voice of his that he’d perfected after starting to date Lori.) but Rick’s was his favorite.

He wrapped his hand around it and gave it a few firm strokes as he leaned into Rick again, catching familiar lips in a hard kiss; stubble rasped over his skin and teeth nipped at him, just shy of sharp enough to break skin. He bit back, dragging Rick’s bottom lip into his mouth then Shane delved in, past parted teeth, tasting mint and thank god for toothpaste and gum being part of their lives again.

Rick was hot and heavy in his hand and he could feel a touch of wetness on the back stroke. He rubbed his thumb over the head, smearing the drops of pre-cum around and swallowing the raspy groan Rick offered up. He smiled as Rick thrust his hips forward and, with one last parting lick, pulled away.

There was a kind of practiced ease to being with Rick. He knew where to touch and what to do and that was surprisingly...nice. Hot, even, to think someone else knew him that well (and wanted to keep fucking him anyway) and it allowed him certain things he hadn’t allowed himself with others, such as getting straight to the point with minimal playing around.

Then again a multitude of quickies since the world had gone to hell had played a role too. Who had time for niceties when you were fooling around against a tree and walkers could have been wandering around nearby?

He dropped to his knees and used his not full hand to push Rick’s shirts up and out of the way, exposing dark hair and pale skin. He leaned in and drug his tongue over the tip of Rick’s cock then down the shaft, tasting salt and skin. On the way back up he took his time, laving his tongue over the underside and veins and drinking in every quiet noise the other man made. Rick’s hand brushed over his cheek then long fingers curled into his hair, tugging lightly, before sinking in further and rubbing over his scalp.

Shane glanced up, meeting Rick’s eyes, as he opened his mouth over the tip and slowly sank down, enjoying the way the other man stretched his mouth open and felt heavy and full against his tongue. He pushed the flat of his tongue up, molding his mouth around Rick, then began to bob up and down, hollowing out his cheeks as he went. Spit pooled in his mouth then ran past his lips and down his chin.  

He got a kick out of this, the feel and taste of Rick, the way he carded his fingers through his hair, the way he arched up and rolled his hips forward, and let out breathy gasps. He used his hand that was still on Rick’s dick to stroke what wasn’t in his mouth, twisting a little around the base like he knew the other man liked. He reached down with the hand that had been holding up Rick’s shirt and pressed a palm over his own jean clad erection then rocked forward, moaning around the cock in his mouth. Rick hissed, hand moving down to palm the back of his neck.

He brought his hand back up, digging his nails into Rick’s hip and dragging them down as he swallowed the other man down to the root. Rick gripped the back of his neck hard, keeping Shane in place as his hips thrust forward in short jerky motions, fucking into Shane’s throat as he came, thick salty fluid bursting into his mouth.

Shane’s eyes watered but he stayed put, swallowing it down and, when Rick pulled back, drug his tongue over his lips then rubbed his thumb from the corner of his lips to his chin, chasing a thin line of cum. He popped his thumb into his mouth, smirking at Rick’s sharp intake of breath and the almost sweet way Rick was looking down at him.

He swallowed again, trying to dispel the phantom feel of Rick in his mouth, pressing against the back of his throat, then made to help his partner get his pants back up before speaking, keeping his tone light.

“I’m serious by the way. If Daryl doesn’t take a fucking bath he’s banned. He’s a germ factory.”

Rick blinked at him placidly, brow furrowing; Shane had to admit that he liked the confused blissed out look on his partner. He also liked how pliable post-orgasm Rick tended to be.

“We’re all infected with something that turns us into undead cannibals and you’re worried about cigarette smoke and germs. I never expected you’d be one of _those_ parents.”

“Well I am.” Shane stood up, rubbing at his knee as he went. “People are talking. Starting to wonder if he isn’t fit for civilized company. Even Carol has started talking about taking him out back and hosing him off.”

“Since when do you care about people? And who talks to you?”

The first part was a fantastic point (He wasn’t going to acknowledge the second question. And the answer was Carol. Carol talked to him.). Shane had been shouting ‘Fuck everyone’ since they were teenagers and he’d first pulled Rick into an awkward, sloppy kiss with entirely too much teeth and head bumping. He’d never cared about consequences or opinions and considering how many messes that had caused you’d think Rick would see the merit in trying a different tactic. The Grimes were literally the only good things he had in his life as a result of not caring what people thought; other than those three it was just one painful lesson after another.

“Since staying here is the best thing for Carl and Judith and if people start thinking Daryl doesn’t belong you’ll start thinking maybe we don’t either.” Shane poked his partner in the chest.

“I wouldn’t do that.” Rick said and Shane was positive that the taller man absolutely believed his own bullshit. It was kind of cute.

His thoughts must have been on his face because Rick pulled him close, thick arms wrapped around his shoulders and that solid chest pressing against his own.

“Shane. Giving Daryl a shower won’t make him fit in. He’ll still be unwilling to associate with others and a big question mark for Deanna.” The _Like you_ was heavily implied but Shane appreciated that it went unsaid. He knew that the other’s thought it often and even dared to speak it on occasion. Shane was like a wild animal kept in line only because of Rick and the kids and everyone was afraid he’d snap at any moment. He was a little too good at living in their messed up world and making those awful choices and it scared people.

He’d gotten along fine before all the shit had hit the fan but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel more in his element after everything had gone wrong.

He imagined that he and Daryl had that in common.

“But at least he won’t stink.”

Rick laughed and the rough noise went straight to Shane’s (very neglected) dick. “Fine. I can’t argue with that. I’ll talk to him.”

Rick had always been pretty shitty at arguing after he got off, otherwise he probably would have said something about Shane clearly being out to fuck with Daryl. Which was the main motivation. Dixon clearly had some weird reason for being a dirty hobo and so it was basically Shane’s job to figure out that reason, say fuck it, and then laugh.

His Job.

 

\----

 

After a slower exchange that had ended with him pressed into the bed under Shane’s body, filled up and gasping as the other man rocked into him, and a quick shower Rick made his way downstairs. He could hear Daryl crooning softly and followed it to the living room. He stopped short of entering the room, watching the scene in front of him.

Judith was cradled in Daryl’s arms, sound asleep (Shane would be pissed about that) and Daryl was singing to her quietly while rubbing small circles on her back and pacing the room. It wasn’t the first time Rick had walked into a scene like this and it wasn’t the first time that his heart clenched at the sight. Daryl was good with Judith and the baby clearly shared the man’s affection, lighting up and reaching for him whenever he was around.

In a strange way it reminded Rick of how Lori had been with Carl; sweet and sincere and occasionally frazzled but most of all loving. She’d always looked at Carl like he was the most amazing thing in the world and she was in awe that she’d had a part in it.

Rick had felt the same; still felt that way about Carl as well as Judith. Of course Carl was a prickly pre-teen who’d seen too much in spite of Rick’s best efforts to shield him but there was still an overwhelming sense of pride in everything Carl did.

After the wave of tender fondness, equal parts for Daryl as for Judith, there came the bubble of guilt. Lori should have been here, singing softly to Judith, and then there was Daryl and Shane and Lori (she was gone, but she was never far from Rick’s thoughts)...Rick had to confess, when he dug himself a hole he dug deep. His relationship with Shane was a testament to that.

He walked into the room, clearing his throat quietly. Daryl cast a bored look over at him as he crossed the distance between them. “Was that supposed to let me know you were there? Because I heard ya coming down.”

“Of course you did.” Rick replied before inclined his head towards the sleeping baby. “I’ll put her down.”

He got a nod in return and slowly took Judith from Daryl, all but holding his breath in an attempt to not wake her back up. One she was situated in his arms he expected Daryl to move back and put distance between them but instead the younger man shifted closer, reaching out to push a stray lock of hair away from Judith’s forehead.

Rick had seen Daryl stab through walkers skulls and jaws, seen him skin and gut an animal in record times, and seen him throw punches that could lay a man out yet, in moments like this, the hunter’s fingers seemed almost delicate as they brushed over Judith.

Rick had moved, reached out and brushed his knuckles over the hand that was touching his daughter before realizing he was doing it. Daryl looked up abruptly, meeting his gaze. His eyes widened, black creeping into bright blue, and lips parted as color rushed up into his face. Rick stared back, mouth suddenly dry.

Then Daryl was backing up, eyes flickering to a point over Rick’s shoulder and he didn’t need to turn around to know Shane was standing there.

“I’ll...I’m gonna go.” Daryl shot him one last confused look then was scrambling out of the house as if the hounds of hell were after him.

Rick turned, mouth open to say something (what he hadn’t quite decided on yet) only to find Shane looking very thoughtful. Which was worse than finding him looking angry no matter how Rick looked at the situation.

An angry jealous Shane he could handle and had handled many times because Shane really didn’t know how to play nicely with others (nothing could be worse than Shane’s reaction to him proposing to Lori though, admittedly, that had gone beyond asking Shane to share and more like asking Shane to give him up forever.) but a quiet thoughtful Shane was it’s own monster.

Shane smirked slowly then walked away, quiet humming drifting after him.

“Shane. Whatever you're thinking just stop. Don’t do it.” Rick called after him in an urgent whisper.  

The other man didn’t respond.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this thought about how Shane would handle Alexandria and I figured the answer was ‘not all that well’. Then ‘Kinda like Daryl but more silent inward suffering because Carl and Judith’. Then ‘I bet Rick would do his best to handle both of them.’ then ‘But not like...handle. Because Daryl’s dirty and I bet Shane would nix that shit not because he doesn't want to fuck Daryl but just to be an asshole’ then ‘But. Maybe if he showered? And let Shane do terribly filthy things to him? While Rick just makes faces and noises that only Shane and Daryl can give words to.’ AND HERE WE ARE.


	2. Electric Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we address how Daryl feels about Shane (douche), Rick (Feels way too much), and Shane and Rick (Whelp). Shane is Shane (Smug and full of self loathing) and Rick is Rick (Less smug, very sincere, and chronically bemused.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *yawn* Uh. I'm not too sure what I'm doing. I'm not sure about the quality of my work at 4:30 am.

 

“Hey Carol.” Rick’s voice came from above him, drawing Daryl’s gaze up. He saw Rick leaning out of the window of the bathroom, smiling down at them. “You think you can spare Daryl for a minute? The shower head is acting up and I could use another set of hands.”

Carol straightened up and tilted her head back to stare up at the house, putting a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun. “I don’t know. What’s in it for me?”  

Daryl had been helping her with the garden she’d decided to plant in the back of the houses. It wasn’t much to look at yet, just rows of dirt and green shoots just starting to peek out and reach for the sunlight, but he liked being out there with her, pulling weeds and watering the seedlings.

“What are you terms?”

Carol made a thoughtful noise. Daryl scowled. “I am right here, in case you two forgot.”

The older woman smiled at him brightly. “Of course not. If you weren’t here I wouldn’t have anything to barter with.”

He fixed his best glare on her but, in true Carol form, she was uneffected. Instead she patted his arm affectionately then turned her attention back to Rick, who had the nerve to be the picture of seriousness. Daryl hated him, just a little.

He didn’t want to help Rick out with whatever it was he needed and, in fact, wanted to continue avoiding the other man like he’d been doing for the past few days. He wasn’t sure if Rick had noticed it but he assumed he had; Rick was always very aware of where Daryl was and what he was doing so not crossing paths for four days was sure to have caught Rick’s attention.

He could just tell Carol he’d rather be down here, working with her, but she’d want to know why and then he’d have to explain that he was ducking Rick and why, which meant he’d have to explain what exactly he’d seen four days ago that had him scrambling around, desperate to avoid his housemates.  

“I wouldn’t mind taking Judith for the night. We haven’t had a sleepover in a while.” Carol said, eyes twinkling. “And I was going to do some baking. I could use Carl as a taste tester.”

Rick made a show of thinking it over then nodded slowly. “You drive a hard bargain but I think that can be arranged.”

“Always a pleasure doing business with you Rick.” Carol said while dropping back down to the row of seedlings she’d been weeding. “Come by for dinner Daryl?”

He nodded even though she wasn’t looking at him anymore. “Course.” She tossed him a warm smile but didn’t say anything else and he sighed, raking a hand through his hair, before heading for the house.

As he passed into the house and walked past the kitchen he couldn’t help but flash back to the morning of That Day. He’d padded into the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and rolling his shoulders in an attempt to work out the knots there, expecting to find Rick at the table coaxing food into Judith or sipping coffee.

Instead he’d gotten...an eyeful of something he’d never, in his wildest dreams, expected to see.   

As far as housemates who were actually fucking went Daryl had always figured he’d gotten lucky with Shane and Rick. Not that he’d had a lot of housemates or anything, really just dingy motels and squatting places with Merle, Merle's friends, and whatever girls they had hanging around at the moment but he figured that was a good enough baseline to appreciate that Shane and Rick were nothing like what he was used to.

They kept their relationship quiet and to themselves and Daryl wouldn’t be surprised if most of the group was unaware. There were signs, if one was looking for them, lingering touches, meaningful looks, and conversations full of loaded words, but no one else seemed to be looking for it.

They probably didn’t want to look and if they’d ever glimpsed anything they would have pushed it out of their mind, shaking their head and telling themselves ‘Rick would never. Not with Shane of all people.’

Shane was kind of a strange element in their group, more so than even Daryl was. Daryl had become a kind of leader figure, much against his will and to his extreme discomfort, but Shane had been pushed to the outskirts on the farm and never really moved back from there. When they’d taken people into the prison they’d shied away from Shane and now in Alexandria is was more of the same.

Not that Shane seemed to give a shit. He seemed content to remain a large frowning presence willing to do literally whatever it took to come out ahead. No one seemed to really get why Rick not only tolerated the volatile man but seemed to trust him more than anyone else, especially considering...things. No one would have blamed Rick for turning Shane away and in fact most of them had expected it. They’d been sure than one day Shane would just be gone, that there was no way the two men could actually coexist.

Instead they’d started to orbit around each other in a strange way. If Rick was around it went without saying that Shane was somewhere nearby and, though Shane was rarely directly involved in group decisions Daryl knew that Rick floated everything by him. They both acted to raise the Grimes children and it seemed almost...natural for them. In fact Rick had made it a point to make sure they all knew that Shane was as much Judith’s parent as he was.

Daryl had once caught Glenn talking quietly to Rick, pointing out the baby’s blue eyes and what that probably meant. (“Shane and Lori both had brown eyes, you know?”) Rick had turned a chillingly blank look on the younger man, staring silently until Glenn had started squirming and left the cell block, saying he had something to do elsewhere.

Even when they fought they did it in code, arguing about one thing Daryl always got the sense that there was a whole other layer under their words. Also that when they were really and truly pissed that one of them ending up as a dead body was a viable possibility.

Still he didn’t mind living with them and didn’t mind that they were together. End of the world and all that; people were driven to all sorts of things they wouldn’t have normally done and in the grand scheme of things fucking a guy who’d fucked your wife and settling into some weird kind of domestic bliss was pretty mild.

They kept it out of his face, which was a far cry from rolling out of bed and finding scantily clad women hanging around or being subjected to the sounds of Merle and his many conquests. If not for the way they’d casually acknowledged that yeah, that’s what was going down when Daryl had made some sly comment about it in an attempt to get under Shane’s skin he might have thought it was all in his head.

He didn’t really think of them as together, even now. He saw them as a unit, as partners, but not ‘together’ in the same way he thought of Maggie and Glenn. Those two were crazy about each other, holding hands, kissing, and staring at each other with big mooning eyes and there was just no way to think of Glenn without Maggie or Maggie without Glenn.

He thought about Rick plenty, more than he wanted to actually. The older man haunted his thoughts, made him question everything he thought he knew about himself, and when he smiled at him it was like an actual physical force was drawing Daryl in. He’d put faith in Daryl long before anyone else did, had trusted him to watch his back, to protect his kids, and protect their group and that was something he’d never had before. More than that Rick had, just by being Rick, gotten Daryl to not just trust him but to want to choose him over his own blood.

Merle was all he’d had for years, almost all of his life really, but they didn’t exactly trust each other. Just wasn’t the way they’d been raised; yes you placed your blood above everything else but you sure as fuck couldn’t trust them to not hurt you or do right by you. But he could trust Rick to do anything short of risking Carl and Judith if it meant helping Daryl, which was a special kind of terrifying when he let himself dwell on it.

Which he didn’t because when he did it brought up a wealth of other things he just wanted to keep firmly locked up inside of himself. Even if he sometimes caught Rick staring at him, gaze so intense and heated that it made him want to squirm away. Even if sometimes Rick reached out for him, brushed calloused fingers over his skin in whispery soft touches, and Daryl found himself standing a little too close, leaning in to the other man, occasionally trapped in moments where the air seemed to be electrified around them.

Maybe because of all of those things.

Because every time they’d snap back to themselves and Rick would pull back, guilt all over his face then leave to return to Shane. Daryl would berate himself. While he was at a point where he could admit that he’d always had his eye caught more by men than women he was not at a point where he was going to make a move on Rick. Rick was as close to a best friend as Daryl had ever gotten (along with Carol) and he couldn’t risk screwing that up. AND even if he had been willing to risk that there was Shane.

Fucking Shane.

That loud smug asshole who seemed to genuinely enjoy starting fights with Daryl whenever possible, trying to taunt and tease him into violence. He walked around, looking at Daryl like he thought he was so above him, and never missed an opportunity to let him know that he still saw him as a dirty redneck. Daryl gave back as good as he got whether they came to actual blows or just sat around hurling insults while Rick looked increasingly distressed and frustrated.

Sometimes Daryl thought it was more of a game than serious animosity. Sometimes he thought Shane might actually kind of like him and, worse, that he didn’t completely loathe the older man and that having someone who was willing to yell and push at him was something he valued. Daryl’s world had always been a rough one and now, when everyone was going soft and stupid around him, Shane was just as prickly and mean as he’d been outside of Alexandria.

When this place started to feel too small and the eyes of all of it’s pastel wearing inhabitants seemed to be burning into him and even the people that made up his makeshift family were asking him why he couldn’t settle and just fit in, there was always Shane to sneer in his face and tell him to go fuck himself.

He knew Shane wasn’t as bad as he came across; close to that bad just not quite there. He’d seen too many quiet comforting moments with Carl, too many flashes of gentleness with Judith, and caught those flashes of genuine affection when Shane looked at Rick to believe that.  

He thought about Shane sometimes too, but was better at squashing those thoughts because he was pretty sure that while he could justify having a thing for Rick there was no way to justify having a thing for Shane.

Which he didn’t. For either of them. If he occasionally jerked off thinking about either of them it was just...well he didn’t know what it was.

Still, despite of all of that, he didn’t think of them ‘together’.

And then all of a sudden he was standing in the kitchen watching as Shane, shirtless with his hair still dripping with water, was crowded against the kitchen counter by Rick. Shane was gripping the counter, head tilted up and lips parted to let soft pants fall out. Rick was practically molded against him, one large hand on the back of Shane’s head and his face against the other man’s neck. Daryl could see a flash of teeth and tongue and he needed to get the fuck out of here because he was feeling lightheaded.

He turned on his heel and left as quickly as he could manage, all but throwing himself up the stairs. He was half-hard and his heart was racing. He’d known he wouldn’t be able to look either of them in the eye after stumbling into that so he’d just stayed away. Ducking Rick was easy enough, since the man actually had duties to attend to, but Shane was always fucking around and that made things difficult. They’d crossed paths a few times and Shane had tried to goad him into arguments but he’d barely been able to work up even half hearted responses and would run off at the first opening.

He spent time at the other house with Carol and had even crashed there the night before. He knew he couldn’t keep that up forever and, more to the point, knew he was being foolish. They were all grown ups and it wasn’t like he’d seen anything he didn’t logically know was going on (though not in the kitchen. They ate there.) and yet every time he closed his eyes he saw it as if it had been branded on the back of his eyelids.

Worse when he slept his brain had taken it upon itself to start thinking about things it hadn’t before, taking what he’d seen and playing the scene out to it’s natural conclusion. He was waking up with morning wood like he hadn’t seen since he was a fucking teenager.

He hesitated just outside of the bathroom, and took a deep breath. Then let it out and cursed his overactive imagination and whatever had possessed Rick and Shane to go from ‘so discreet sometimes Daryl thought they were just screwing with him’ to ‘getting hot and heavy where anyone could walk in’. (He was willing to concede that no one else moved around as quietly as he did except maybe Michonne but Michonne didn’t wake up that early without prompting)

“Daryl?” Rick leaned out of the bathroom, fixing a questioning look on him. Daryl very pointedly didn’t squirm and was fairly certain he didn’t cringe either. “Something wrong?”

He swallowed then steeled himself. “Nah. Just thinking. Let’s fix this thing.” He walked into the bathroom, so close to Rick he could feel the heat radiating from the older man and feel those dark blue eyes boring into him.

Then he stopped, blinking. Shane was leaning against the wall just inside, arms crossed over his bare chest. The door shut with a soft click behind him and Daryl whirled around to find Rick standing, hand still on the knob, and wearing a look that could only be described as guilty.

“What-”

“You’re taking a shower.” Shane said flatly. “You can either do it yourself or we can help you.”

Daryl, somehow, went hot and cold all at once.

 

\---------

 

Daryl’s face was hard to read; he shifted from furious to embarrassed to confused to nervous to panicked and back to angry so fast it was almost dizzying. His lips pressed into an annoyed line and blue eyes flashed dangerously.

“Fuck you Walsh.”

Shane smiled toothily, an excited shiver running up his spine. Daryl had been acting funny for a few days, not rising to Shane’s bait and staying away from Rick when normally he trailed the older man like a puppy, and it been getting to the both of them. Rick seemed convinced he must have done something wrong and was worrying to the point of annoyance. And Shane...well Shane didn’t like being ignored. Everytime he tossed an insult only to have Daryl stare at him with those big blue bewildered eyes then all but run from him it made him want to grab the other man and slam him into something.

He supposed he had, in his own way, missed having Daryl around.

Daryl glared darkly then turned back to Rick who held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. “I know you’re probably upset-”

“Probably?” Shane quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s his ‘maybe pissed’ face.”

“But,” Rick shot him an exasperated look. Shane shrugged.  “Even Carol is starting to worry about you.”

The younger man’s face twisted into something strange and unreadable then, tone stilted. “Ain’t nothing to be worried bout, so how bout you all stop whispering when I’m not around?”

Rick rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s not like that.”

“Bullshit! You think I can’t see how people are watching me, cringing when they see me coming, worried the redneck’s gon’ dirty up their lives? People like me don’t belong in places with sweater vests and frilly curtains.” Daryl sneered. “Ain’t new. We’re just back to how life used ta be. Jus’ didn’ expect my own people to be part of it.”

“Daryl,” Rick looked stricken. Shane could understand that sentiment; Daryl played his feelings close to his chest and this...this was like tossing a guy into the interview room and having him confess to a bunch of shit you didn’t even ask about.

An awkward silence followed

“Whatever.” Daryl made to push past Rick, reaching for the door but Rick put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Shane watched Daryl’s hands twitch and then curl into fists.

Shane had known he’d need Rick for this little endeavor because when it came to keeping Daryl calm he was one of two people who could handle the job. When he’d had to put down Merle Rick had help him together. When Beth had been killed Daryl had tried to drift away but Rick and Carol had pulled him back.

Shane had figured Rick would keep Daryl from having too bad of a reaction, what with Daryl clearly having a *thing* for Rick and all. Not that the younger man was alone in that, because Rick sure as fuck returned all those looks that Shane probably wasn’t supposed to notice.

Shane hadn’t decided if it pissed him off or not yet. He knew Rick wouldn’t fuck around around on him; when Rick decided to pursue other people he fessed up right away. Shane had known about the girls he was going to ask out and that he was going to propose to Lori before any of the girls had actually known because Rick had a whole weird way of going about things. They’d never really been together (or so they told themselves. In hindsight Shane figured he’d been more with Rick than he’d been with anyone else) so stopping so Rick could date women had been do able, even though he hated it, since he’d always known Rick would be back. Until he’d married Lori at least; the minute the rings went on Rick had stayed away from Shane's bed.

That had pissed Shane off. He liked Lori, maybe even loved her, and had been devastated when she died and yet it still pissed him off.

It was complicated.

He wasn’t sure if Daryl was as complicated a matter but he figured that, really, nothing could be as much of a clusterfuck as things between him, Rick and Lori had been. Mostly he knew that in a situation where he was going to be getting on Daryl’s nerves it was good to have Rick around to sooth those ruffled feathers.  

Except Daryl didn’t soothed. The opposite actually; his eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared while he clenched his hands into fists. He looked ready to fight and Shane would know what Daryl Dixon ready to fight looks like.

So when Daryl glared up at Rick and smacked his hand away Shane was ready to catch him by the collar and jerk him back. Daryl was fast to swing at him, closed fist and with intent behind it but Shane took the hit without flinching. He threw Daryl into the wall, dimly aware that Rick was sighing at them again, then aimed a kick to the back of the younger man’s legs, taking out his knees.

“This bathroom isn’t really big enough to wrestling in.” Rick muttered.

Shane pressed his hands down on Daryl’s shoulders and wedged his knee into the younger man’s neck, putting as much of his weight behind it as he could. “We’re not wrestling. We’re having a talk in the only room in the house someone won’t come busting into.”

Rick’s smile was a wry one. “Usually you don’t have to force people onto their knees to talk.”

He actually liked to think some of the best things he’d ever seen people do with their mouths had happened when they were on their knees.

Shane shrugged. “I don’t think he minds too much. Probably prefer it was you more than me-” Darly inhaled sharply, going rigid under Shane’s hands; he didn’t try to get up or press against the wall to gain leverage or even shake Shane off. He cast a look down, watching a flush spread over Daryl’s face.

“Just because you like this sort of-”

“I don’t dislike it.” Shane agreed easily. There was something he’d always liked about getting someone onto their knees and feeling the threat of violence and protest in them. He supposed he’d been one of those asshole cops who got off on the job. “You’re kind of pretty down there.”

Daryl’s blush darkened and, actually, it was kind of pretty. Insofar as a man like Daryl could be pretty anyway.

“Be better if you weren’t covered in a layer of sweat and dirt. Right Rick?” He moved one hand, flicking at a lank lock of hair, while casting a look over at Rick.

Who looked like he couldn’t decide if he was angry or going to laugh or something else entirely. Instead he jerked door open then inclined his head meaningfully. “I wanna talk to you.”

Shane smirked then gave Daryl a small shove. “Take. A. Shower. Don’t care about other people thinking you don’t fit in, just want you to stop stinking up the place.”

He left the bathroom, brushing past Rick; he could feel the tension in the other man. He stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall. He could hear Rick, quiet and ernest.

“I know this isn’t what you’re used to, isn’t what you had before, but it’s good. It could be good, if you let it be. I want you to want to be here, with us. Not just the group, but us. My family.” There was a pause and Shane could imagine Rick’s utterly sincere expression. “We don’t work without you.”

“I’m not these people Rick.”

“So? These people...none of us are these people. Not now. Doesn’t mean we can’t be here, can’t make it our own. We can change things here.”

There was silence then Rick walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him, fixing an icy glare on Shane. A smarter man would have been wary and worked to not push Rick further.

“You mad I was picking on your pet?”

“Is that what you’re doing?” Rick asked. “You know nothing’s going on with Daryl.”

Again he was amazed at what his partner could manage to convince himself of. Though he supposed self-delusion was a talent they both shared. “You’ve got a funny definition of nothing.”

Rick opened his mouth, probably to argue or defend himself but the sound of the shower coming on in the bathroom had him looking away, glancing back at the door. 

"I ain't mad, you know. Ain't like I've never stepped aside before."

And he'd always hated it. Tolerated it, yes, but it had torn him apart inside every time. And yet it was a sincere offer, for Rick he'd remain the one on the side that no one knew about if that's what it took. He was pretty good at being the dirty fuck you kept secret and regretted come the light of day and not particularly great at being something more than that anyway. 

Rick's lips pressed into a thin tight line. He moved closer and leaned into him, bringing their foreheads together. His hands were warm and Shane could feel the familiar calluses brushing over his shoulders. "That's not what we're doing. Not again."

Shane nodded then, pitching his voice low. "Maybe we can share instead." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Shane tries being nicer to Daryl. His plan involves cookies. Rick is pretty sure Daryl is neither a child nor a dog but Shane is pretty sure treats, pats on the head, and being told to get on his knees are up Daryl's alley. Trust him, he's good at this sort of thing. Rick's not half bad himself. 
> 
> I have the strange desire to rewrite the Prison arcs with Shane around, either as Rick/Shane or Rick/Shane/Daryl. Unrelated to this little ditty of course. At first I was all “I don’t care how they got here, we just aiming for sexy times” and now I’m like “I could imagine a lot of interesting backstory here actually. For another story. PLEASE STOP INTRUDING ON MY THINLY VEILED SMUT SETUP STUPID PLOT AND FEELS.” And then I keep writing because I am my story’s bitch and it does what it wants. No one ever just fucks when I want them to. They gotta feel things and talk and ugh.


	3. How Am I Going to be an Optimist About This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane kills Daryl with cookies and a firm hand, breaks down Rick just a little bit, and no one bothers with Shane at all because they never do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo. I’m taking all of my plot and feels to my story Blackbird (Which will probably be Rick/Shane/Daryl endgame as well) and focus on getting to that smut here. ...That’s a lie. *kicks rocks* Enjoy more feels.

Something was going on with Shane and it was making Daryl nervous.

It had started when Shane had asked him to take Judith for a few minutes. First of all he’d asked instead of just handing the infant to him and then he’d thanked him and actually seemed sincere about it. On top of that when he’d come back to collect Judith he’d given Daryl a cookie of all things and squeezed his shoulder before walking off.

Then he’d enlisted him to help with painting Judith’s room and not just wanted his help but asked his opinion on the colors of paint he’d managed to collect from around the community, saying he valued Daryl’s input when it came to things with Judith. The words had been said easily, like it was something obvious and not the kind of words that made it hard for Daryl to breathe and made a strange warmth bloom inside of him.

There had been more cookies. The first one when he’d helped picked out the color and Shane had tossed it to him with a pleased grin and an agreement that the soft green would be great for the nursery. The second was the next day when Daryl was standing outside the nursery, ready to get to work. It had come with a cup of coffee and a brush of fingers as the cup and cookie were exchanged that made Daryl’s hand tingle.

The third was exchanged when they were done with the first coat and sitting on the stairs along with a large warm hand on the back of his neck, squeezing lightly, and quiet words about how Shane appreciated the help. He’d muttered something he could barely remember in response then left the house to sit in the backyard, trying to understand not just why Shane was suddenly acting differently but why Daryl found himself enjoying the smiles and words and what was even going on with the cookies anyway?

Daryl hadn’t gotten any homemade cookies growing up and Carol’s were fantastic. He could have gone over at any time and gotten a bunch of his own directly from her instead of the occasional one from Shane but there was something about the way Shane gave them to him that made him not want to do so.

The next day he’d intended to grab something to eat and creep out, heading out on a scouting trip with Aaron and not wanting to wake everyone up, only to find Shane pacing the kitchen with a fussy Judith. He’d stared at Daryl for a long moment then motioned him over and placed Judith in his arms, whispering against his ear about how the baby always calmed down for him. He’d cradled Judith, smiling as she cooed softly and dropped off, while resolutely not watching the way Shane’s broad shoulders and muscular back flexed and moved as he padded around the kitchen.

Did Shane ever wear shirts?

Daryl had come to terms with having thoughts about men, had even come to terms with the fact he had a thing for Rick, who was so very off limits, and come around to the fact that sometimes he liked to eyefuck Shane but he was not going to do that while holding Judith. There were limits.

At least he thought there were.

Shane has fished some jerky and a bottle of water out and put them on the table then started munching on one of those damn cookies. He’d stopped suddenly, brown eyes going thoughtful before he was back in Daryl’s space, taking Judith back. Shane had thanked him and then made some some offhand joke about Judith clearly preferring Daryl’s company. When Daryl had opened his mouth to say something, anything, Shane had popped the other half of the cookie into his mouth then walked off without a word.

Daryl didn’t have a problem finishing off another person’s food and he had a pretty good idea of where Shane’s mouth had been so that didn’t bother him. Yet he’d felt a strange mixture of guilty and embarrassed as he stood there and thought about the feel of Shane’s fingers brushing his lips.

The next time he sees Shane the older man puts a hand on the back of his neck again and with a single squeeze and a firm word has Daryl following him to go onto a run (Noah and Glenn both had colds so they needed fill ins) without even thinking about what he was doing.

The day continued like that, with touches both random, like thighs pressed against each other when they’re sitting together, and deliberate touches to his shoulder and arm, and quiet firm demands that Daryl responds to without question, which has been something that only happened with Rick up until now.

When they’d gotten back, carrying a collection of neon colored plastic blocks with letters and numbers on the side for Judith that had gotten them some odd looks from the other guys, Rick had been waiting. Daryl had entered the living room first then stopped in his tracks at the strangely pitying look Rick was wearing.

Then Shane had come walking in after a detour to the kitchen, cookie clenched in his mouth and Daryl had found himself staring at Shane’s lips on and off for the rest of the night.

If he hadn’t known better he would have thought Shane was making moves on him but things between Shane and Rick seemed fine and he couldn’t see Shane risking a good thing on someone like Daryl.

Not that he’d never go for that anyway. Taken was taken and Daryl wasn’t interested in coming between other people. That was the sort of thing Merle got up to (and Shane but he got the feeling there was more to all of that then he realized) but it had never sat right with him.

But if he eliminated that option he had no idea what Shane was up to. And even if he considered that option what the fuck was up with the cookies?

...not that he didn’t like them.

 

\------

 

Shane and Daryl had been getting along well lately.

To say that Rick was concerned was something of an understatement. A huge understatement, the kind that he couldn’t even put into words that would do it justice. They had crossed the threshold of things that worried him back at ‘Had feelings for Daryl’, skipped right into things that made his head hurt at ‘Shane is aware and not tearing out anyone’s throat’ and were now firmly in the land of things he couldn’t begin to fathom with Shane suggesting that they just ‘share’.

He didn’t even understand what the hell ‘sharing’ was supposed to imply. Oh, he had some ideas, was almost positive Shane was suggesting that they fuck Daryl, but he was pretty sure even at this stage of ‘world ending events’ that was just outside of the bounds of viable options.

Shane liked to solve things with cutting words and fists and, when that didn’t work, he liked to try fixing things with sex, which seemed to be where he was with the ‘Daryl thing’ (insofar as Rick, who had passed Shane over more times than he cared to count for more socially acceptable people, apparently falling back into those awful habits was a ‘thing’ and not a ‘Huge fucking problem and why did he keep doing shit like this, what the fuck was wrong with him and why was Shane tolerating it?’) And if that didn’t work, and heaven forbid it didn’t, the other man would just shut down and ignore the problem while it festered inside of him. Rick knew that if it got to that point something he couldn’t manage would result.

Rick had been trying to break him out of the Fight-Fuck-Explode cycle their entire lives but, really, he figured he’d done more to contribute to Shane’s issues than alleviate them. More than once Shane had stood on the edge of giving into that dark wildness that lurked inside of him because of Rick’s actions, or inaction.

He’d tried to feel out what Shane was getting at right then and there in the hallway. Unfortunately his partner had just stared back with glittering brown eyes and his head cocked curiously to the side, looking for the world like he didn’t know what Rick was asking him about.

Or, more likely, wasn’t ready to talk about it just yet so he’d been forced to drop it and just let it be. In the meantime Daryl had finally taken a shower (Rick had to admit that while there was something about the younger man covered in sweat and streaked with dirt there was also something to Daryl being clean and the way his hair curled a bit at the ends when not weighed down by filth) and was back to spending more time actually in their house instead of over at Carol’s or slinking around outdoors. That was a small relief for Rick who spent a large amount of his free time worrying not just about how Daryl was doing but how Shane was doing as well.

The answer for both was ‘Not all that well’ and it was getting to Rick. Both had him worried and he wasn’t sure which was worse. Daryl...well he was half afraid Daryl would just be gone one day with not a trace left behind to mark that he’d ever been there at all. Part of him insisted that was impossible because they were family and Daryl had proven time and again that nothing was as important to him as family.

And yet he saw Daryl sometimes, smoking out on the porch and leaning against the railing, staring off into the distance with a kind of longing that made Rick’s heart ache. When he saw that he wanted to reached out and pull Daryl into his arms and beg him to stay here, with them.

With him.

He’d meant everything he’d said to Daryl in the bathroom, even though it was stupid and would probably just make things worse. The few days Daryl had spent avoiding him and Shane had been awful and awkward. Shane’s bitchiness had ramped up, Judith had been more fussy than usual, Carl had asked about Daryl non-stop, and even Michonne and Sasha had noticed that something was up. The air in the house had been unbearably tense.

If Daryl were to ever actually leave...Rick knew their misfit family would suffer. They’d already lost too many people, people who’d been at their sides so long that the losses cut especially deep. The idea of losing Daryl too haunted him, and he hated that he was so invested in someone who wasn’t Shane.

Though, if he was completely honest with himself, Shane also had him scared lately. He knew Shane was restless and uncomfortable in Alexandria, full of energy with no way to burn it off, similar to how Daryl was. Shane wasn’t sleeping outside and leaving animal guts around, but only because that wasn’t his style. Shane was all about quietly skulking around, watching people with those dark eyes of his and making everyone else as uncomfortable as he clearly was.

Shane hated Alexandria. He was tolerating it because it was good for the group, good for the kids, but there was no doubt in Rick’s mind that Shane would have prefered being back at the farm or the prison or in a barn somewhere over this place.

Rick didn’t know how they’d gotten to this place where Shane couldn’t deal with nice houses, nice people, a steady food supply, and not having to head out on dangerous runs constantly. Rick understood not wanting to trust the place and waiting for the other shoe to drop but he couldn’t help but think that Shane’s issues ran deeper than that, ran to the very core of who Shane was now. There was violence and anger brimming just below Shane’s surface and Rick knew he should do something about it, give the other man an outlet, but he was afraid of going there after everything that had happened between them. He was so afraid he’d push too hard or say the wrong thing and lose Shane forever.

Rick really didn’t think he could take any more loss. It was inevitable, really, and yet he found his breath catching in his throat and body going stiff anytime he considered it.

So he tried not to, tried to ignore the elephant in the room, and focus on giving Shane other shit to worry about and sticking close to Daryl when he could.

They were in the ‘nursery’ (it was actually Shane’s room but while he kept his stuff in here he slept in Rick’s room most nights since it had a bigger bed.) and Shane was drawing on one of the pale green wall with a piece of chalk, some kind of outline he couldn’t identify just yet. Rick was lying on the bed and watching through lowered lashes. He’d asked Shane what he was up to and had been rewarded with that ‘What are you even asking me about’ look again and then told him to get on the bed and stay out of the way.

“I’ve been working on Daryl.” Shane said, dropping the thought as if they’d already been talking. He stepped back from the wall he’d been working on and cast a glance at the other 3 still beige walls. “What do you think?”

“...about what?” Rick asked carefully. For all he knew Shane was talking about the...whatever it was he was drawing.

Shane’s quiet scoff was as clear as saying ‘you’re an idiot’ would have been. “About Daryl.”

He hesitated a moment then smiled what he hoped was disarmingly because when Shane was acting strange it was best to be careful. “I think lots of things about Daryl. Like how you two are playing so nice lately.”

Shane’s eyebrows went up slightly and for a moment his gaze was sharp, penetrating, then he blinked and it was back to that quietly amused thing he did so well. “I’ve been trying to feel him out. See if he’d be willing to come to bed with both of us.”

Rick inhaled and held it, willing himself to think of something to say but instead all he could think was ‘This isn’t happening.’ Well that and a fleeting thought about what it’d be like to sit and watching Shane and Daryl-

He exhaled. “You can’t stand Daryl.”

Shane dropped his chalk abruptly then crossed the distance in three long strides, hitting the bed on his hands and knees and crawling up over Rick, smirking. Rick stared back as calmly as he could even as his fingers dig into the comforter underneath him. This felt dangerous, like at any moment Shane would snap and come apart and Rick would be unable to do anything but try to ride it out. It was there, that barely contained fury, just behind his eyes.

Shane stopped when he was over him, knees on the sides of Rick’s hips and hands pressing into the mattress on either side of his head. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be worried or getting hard.

Both seemed reasonable.

“I can stand him just fine.”

Rick swallowed. “Since when? All you do is argue an’ try to get him to fight wit you.” Shane just stared at him, lips curling faintly and the realization hit him all at once, feeling almost like a brick to the skull. “Oh.”

“Right.” Shane drew the word out against his ear then swept his tongue along the shell. Rick shivered. “Even if I didn’ you like him. More than like him.”

He swallowed. “Don’t do this because you think it’s what I want.”

He was prepared to never cross any (more) lines with Daryl. He owed Shane for everything that had happened between them before and wouldn’t, couldn’t, ask the other man to do something like this just because it was (maybe) what Rick wanted. He’d never done right by Lori and the least he could do was try to do right by Shane, the man who’d stayed at his side and put up with his shit when he had every right to just walk away.

He _needed_ Shane so much it frightened him, couldn’t imagine a world without him in it just like this. Daryl...he didn’t have Daryl like this, didn’t know what he was missing, and as long as he didn’t know he could keep telling himself that all he needed was Daryl around, as his friend and part of his family, and not like _this_.

Shane laughed while pressing a kiss to the skin behind his ear. “Nah. It’s what I want too. I been thinking that Daryl would look awfully pretty down on his knees for us or spread out and held down while you fucked him and he used his mouth on me.”

It wasn’t just the words that got to him but the way Shane twisted them, that throaty voice that was almost a physical thing that wrapped around and sank into him. Shane had that way about him when he wanted to. When they’d been younger men he’d seen it more; the forceful filthy part of Shane that wanted to find ways to crawl into Rick’s skin and slowly take him apart, goad Rick into digging into him just enough to hurt and leave marks. Rick hadn’t minded indulging Shane, had certainly seen the appeal in being in charge of a man who was infuriatingly smug and condescending and would only let that smirk fall from his lips when it was ordered off.

He liked putting Shane in his place. Shane liked making him fight for it.

And, as an aside, he’d learned so much about ropes that had ended up being useful all these years later that he actually owed his life to his and Shane’s sex life.

Then he’d gotten married and Shane had taken his strange knot and biting kinks elsewhere, and that had been something he’d thought about a lot, that one of Shane’s girlfriends or boyfriends was doing what he’d once done.

Even after they’d fallen back together there wasn’t much of this Shane. He knew it was because of him, because he treated Shane softly in ways he hadn’t before and he knew if frustrated his partner to no end, but they didn’t talk about it.

They were older but they still drifted around each other in some ways, not talking about things they should talk about like two idiot teenagers afraid that mentioning feelings would tip them into some strange place they couldn’t afford to be in.

“I’m not sure that’s his thing.”

Shane pulled back looking almost disdainful. “Daryl lives to make you happy. He’d do anything you told him to do.”

He shook his head, trying to clear it. Where did Shane even get these ideas? “What makes you say that?”

Shane’s tongue touched his lips, darting over the crease then licking inside when Rick let out a huff of air. Shane’s tongue touched his own, a surprisingly light caress, then retreated. Teeth touched his bottom lip, drawing it out so Shane could suck on it for a moment before releasing him with a wet noise that went straight to Rick’s cock.

“Because I know that that’s like.” He could feel the words more than hear them as Shane’s lips moved over his own. “I’ve been doing it since we meet.”

Rick shuddered. Shane was playing him and he wanted to be annoyed but it was hard to dredge that up when the over man was hovering above him like that.

“You don’t-”

Shane nipped at his bottom lip sharply; there was the press of teeth and a flash of pain then a warm lingering tingle. Stubble scratched over his face as Shane turned his attention elsewhere; lips and tongue touched throat, pausing to drop a sucking kiss to his skin. “What we’re going to do with Daryl is-”

Rick shook his head minutely. “I haven’t agreed to anything. You can’t just-”

Shane looked up at him through dark lashes and the words died in his throat.

When Shane pulled his pants down, stroked his cock, and then swallowed him down to the root he closed his eyes and let himself think about Daryl then groaned because absolutely nothing good could possibly come of any of this.

He arched his back then thrust up into Shane’s mouth, flashes of blue eyes dancing on the back of his eyelids, and something inside of him whispered that before this was over he would lose both Shane and Daryl.

\---

In the quiet darkness of the night Shane rolls over on his stomach and picks his head up to peer at Rick. The other man's eyes are closed but he knew Rick was awake by the way he was breathing. The only point of light in the room beyond the dim moonlight was the green pin prick of light from the baby monitor; he could hear Judith's quiet even breathing and there was a certain soothing quality to it. 

Rick's hand snaked over and brushed over Shane's face. "Why're you going this? Really." 

Shane didn't answer right away, knew Rick would appreciate the illusion of him thinking over the answer. He already knew why he was doing it: because he'd do anything for Rick. He'd shed blood and put his life on the line for Rick Grimes, had before and would again, and he didn't mean that in a romantic or poetic way but in the way where he loved Rick so much that it made him forget to think about himself sometimes. It made him willing to hold on however he could because he knew, eventually, it would go the same way it always had and Rick would take up with someone else; someone who people wouldn't question like they would Shane. It was the same old dance and Shane figured he was lucky they'd lasted as long as they had without it happening. 

The minute they'd crossed into Alexandria he'd known it was coming. It was too much like the world before, with people looking at them and shying away from whatever it was in Shane that made people squirm and wonder about him. When Rick had told him he'd scared Deanna he'd laughed it off but inside he'd been wincing because it was like a nail in a coffin. Soon Rick would want someone better to help with the kids, someone he didn't mind telling people he was with, and that would never be him. He wasn't sure if it was Daryl, though he supposed he could see it. Daryl was uncomfortable with their new situation as well but the group meet his issues with concern and a desire to help and those weren't feelings they had for Shane. They valued Daryl, cared for him and accepted him. Daryl fit, even if he didn't seem to realize it. 

Shane didn't fit with anyone but Rick and that was fine in a grimy prison or on the road but it had never been enough to be  _real._ He couldn't even get Rick to stop treating him like he was going to become unhinged at any moment and needed to be handled with care. Even early today he'd pushed and poked and Rick hadn't pushed back. 

Rick's eyes opened finally and Shane found himself smiling. "Because I want to."

_Because if I share you I can keep you for now._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not how healthy well adjusted people discuss or handle adding a third to their relationships but it is how Shane does it; with manipulation of low self-esteem and cookies/Blow jobs and subtly pushing at Rick’s guilt complex and confusing the fuck out of him.  
> Just talking to Daryl might have been fine but no. Never that for Shane. He's too busy having a teeny tiny personal crisis. 
> 
>  
> 
> Yeah I don't know what's going on either. But the sex is soooo close. And then I might just leave them broken. ...I'm allowed to do that, right?


End file.
